The present disclosure relates generally to a magnetorheological damper, and particularly to a controllable magnetorheological damper for damping the suspension system of a vehicle, and a control system and method for using the same.
Vehicle suspension systems utilize damping devices or shock absorbers for controlling the vibrations of the body and wheel due to road disturbances imposed on the mass-spring system of the vehicle body, wheel and suspension springs. A vehicle suspension damper usually provides a resistive force proportional to the relative velocity between the body and the wheel. Passive dampers may employ an oil-filled cylinder and piston arrangement, while active and controllable dampers may employ a magnetorheological (MR) fluid-filled cylinder and piston arrangement where the viscosity of the MR fluid may be changed by the introduction of a magnetic field. Such MR dampers, however, employ large quantities of MR fluid, such as in excess of one liter per vehicle, need special finishes on the piston rod and the inner surface of the cylinder wall, and need special seals to minimize abrasion from the MR fluid. Passive and active dampers may be used in struts at the front of a vehicle and/or as shock absorbers at the rear of the vehicle.
While existing dampers, suspension damping systems and methods for controlling suspension damping systems may be suitable for their intended purpose, there remains a need in the art for improvements that overcome existing drawbacks.